Halo: Rising Tide
by anonomus writer
Summary: Halo: Rising Tide begins in Halo 2, at the assault on New Mombasa. It is here that our story begins, in a Galaxy Not Very Far Away...In Fact, it is in our own.
1. Chapter 1

**Halo 2: Attack of the Clones**

The_ In Amber Clad_ held position as 3 Pelicans dropped from her hangar, turning towards the Covenant Carrier and the super city of New Mombasa. Spartan 117 glanced impassively around the cargo hold of his Pelican, silently studying the face of each Marine. Each knew very well that they were likely to die but still looked to him, the Master Chief, slayer of armies, to keep them alive. Cortana started talking at that moment, interrupting his thoughts. "The message just repeats regret, regret, regret." Miranda Keyes frowned slightly. "Hmm, catchy. Any idea what it means?" "Dear humanity," Sgt. Major Johnson piped up ",We Regret being alien bastards. We Regret coming to Earth. And we most certainly Regret that the corps just blew up our raggedy ass FLEET!" "Hooha!" The Marines responded enthusiastically. Miranda Keyes chuckled under her breath saying, "If only. Regret is a _name_ Sergeant. The name of one of the Covenants' religious leaders, a Prophet. He's on that carrier and he's calling for help." The Pelicans descended, doing a flyover of a UNSC convoy en route to the front lines. A spotter team came on the radio link for the Pelicans. "Immediate. Klick helo two-three is hot. Recommend mission abort." "Roger recon," the pilots responded. From the rear most Pelican Johnson's' pilot spoke up. "It's your call sir." It took him only a moment to decide. "We're going in." He shifted in his seat a little bit. "Get tactical Marines!", he shouted back to the troops. The Marines, in response began a last minute check of their gear. Lord Hoods' voice came on the tactical frequency. "Master Chief, get aboard that carrier, secure the Prophet of Regret. This is the only place on Earth the Covenant decided to land and that Prophet is going to tell us _why_." "Thirty seconds out," the lead Pelican's pilot announced. "Standby...to..." His voice trailed off. His co-pilot looked up to see a massive machine looming ahead of them. It spotted them, stopped and turned to face them head-on, crushing an eighteen wheeler beneath it's massive feet. Then the Scarab's mouth opened wide, exposing a huge plasma cannon. Glowing green, it discharged a long stream of fire, annihilating the lead pelican. The other two split in 2 directions. The Scarab's topside turret tracked them as it laced John's Pelican with plasma fire, causing the pilot to lose control and crash land in a nearby plaza. It landed with a gut-wrenching shriek of metal on concrete, skidding across the pavement. Johnson and his V/TOL were able to outmaneuver the Scarabs weapon systems as they shifted to a different landing site. "Johnson," Miranda Keyes said. , "What just happened?" "Scarab ma'am. Busted up our formation pretty good." "And Sierra 117?" "Went down with his bird. I'm tracking his transponder." "Good. But in the meantime return to _In Amber Clad_. I've got something I think he'll like..."

John was barely fazed by the crash. The moment the metal carcass stopped moving, he was on his feet checking each body. Most were okay. Corporal Marshall had a defective seat restraint. His body was twisted at horrible angles, his face, quite literally smashed against the wall. Actually there wasn't much _left_ of his face. And Private McKenzie, eager to go to war, had a hole through his chest, plasma scoring marring his body armor. His face was set in a mask of peace, his eyes staring into empty space straight ahead. John closed the kids' eyes and shook his head. Too young. But the UNSC needed every man that could fight, every volunteer. But he was just a kid. John mentally berated himself. This kid had signed up. He knew the risk going in and what was likely to happen. This was war. "Every one fine?" He asked. Mumbles of "Yes" and murmurs of assent floated back to him. "All right then. Lets get out of here." A Marine shook his head. "The door's jammed tight. It won't open." "Let me see it." John looked at the cargo ramp for a few seconds and then put his foot straight through it. He followed it up with his fist. 10 seconds later, the door or what was left of it, was 'open'. More accurately, it was in pieces, scattered across the ground behind the Pelican. John looked back to the Marines who were staring at him, dumfounded. "Well," he said, "Lets get moving." The Marines followed him still looking at him. John could feel the weight of their stares on his back. Switching to his helmet frequency, he said, "Why are they staring at me?" Cortana, the witty AI in his helmet replied rather dryly, "I don't actually know Chief. Maybe it has to do with the fact that tore an armored ramp to pieces with your bare hands. Like an animal I might add." He cuffed the side of his helmet in response. "Ouch. Okay, I deserved that." He chuckled. He reached the building on the other side side of the plaza. He depressed the button on the to open the door...and found himself face-to-face with an Elite. The Sanghelli's mandibles spread open in surprise. "Demon!", it breathed. His magnum was already at face level and spitting lead. The Elite fell without a sound. He cocked his Assault Rifle and beckoned to the Marines. "Move out. I'll take point."

On board Cairo Station, Lord Hood was tracking the orbital battle. It wasn't looking good. 2 stations had stopped responding to radio traffic and the fleet was taking a beating. Still, if they could hold position and draw the Covenant ships in a bit closer, then they could still win. "Lord Hood, this is Fleet Admiral Harper. We've got more slip space ruptures off our port bow and...and something else sir. Readings are a bit unclear." "Roger that Harper, good work." He cocked his head to the left a bit as he studied the Covenant formation. "Fleet Admiral Harper, send two destroyers and a frigate right down the center of that formation. Using their MAC guns, they can cripple at least four ships. Once they've completed their runs, have them return to perimeter defense." "Yes sir." A technician called over to him. "Lord Hood! Something came out of...". The man paused. , "It's not slip space sir." "It's not ours so treat it as hostile." He wished he could sleep. God knew he needed it. And both of them knew he wasn't likely to get it in the coming days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Halo 2: Act I: Attack of the Clones**

"General Kenobi, we are coming out of hyperspace." The Jedi Master nodded. "Thank you Commander." He walked over to the communications station. "Hail the _Resolute_ please." The lead technician inclined his head. "Of course sir. Patching you through now. General Skywalker is receiving." Kenobi stood on the holoprojector transmission plate. "Anakin, do you copy?" "I read you Master. What's up?" "We're coming out of hyperspace." Anakin nodded. "Yeah I know. Anything special about this reversion? Sensors don't show..." His voice trailed off as his head jerked up. "Master-" "I sense it too." Obi-wan turned to Commander Cody. "Cody, I think we can expect trouble." "Yes sir." Cody turned and walked down the bridge walkway, already barking orders. "All hands to battle stations! As soon as we revert bring weapons online. Charge the shield generators. I want them ready to activate _now_! Signal the fleet that conflict is imminent. All pilots to your fighters. Go go _go!_"

Admiral Yularen walked over to Anakin. "General Skywalker all preparations are complete. The _Courageous _reports in battle ready." Anakin nodded. "What about the rest of the fleet?" "The fleet is at operational status. We should be combat ready within seconds of reversion." Anakin grinned. "Admiral, this is where the fun begins. Well, at least for me that is." The Admiral sighed. "Why must you treat war like an obscene game?" Anakin's grin only widened. "Why can't you develop a greater sense of humor?" Yularen raised an eyebrow. "You want to play a game Skywalker? Very well. How about we see who gets more kills? Say the kill count is 50. Whoever gets to 50 first wins. Are you up for it?" Anakin's grin only slipped a bit. "With you in command of the fleet and me in a starfighter? That won't be fair." Yularen spared a rare smile. "I assure you we will only target capital ships." "No Admiral, I meant it wouldn't be fair for _you._" That killed his smile. "Sorry to interrupt skyguy, but we're reverting in 15 seconds." Anakin looked over at his Padawan. "Hey Snips. I wondered where you were off to." Ahsoka smirked. "Forgive me. I forgot to inform you of the assignment _you_ sent me on," she said sarcastically. Anakin nodded in mock seriousness. "Well that can wait for now." A clone walked over to the group. "Excuse me but we're on in five." They turned to the viewport just as the white and blue streak of hyperspace became black realspace dotted with stars--and with the flashes of explosions and the derelicts vessels of misfortune. "Shields up!", Admiral Yularen calmly said. A clone looked up from his computer. "Sir, the opposing forces are neither Separatist nor Republic."

"Not Republic or Separatist? Are you sure?", Cody asked the clone at the sensor station. "Positive sir. For one thing, they look nothing like either sides' usual construction design. That, coupled with the fact that none of those ships are in our database, leads me to believe that they do not belong to the Separatists or the Republic." Cody looked over at Master Kenobi. "What do you think sir?" Obi-Wan frowned. "Well there _are_ any number of civil wars raging throughout the galaxy. But this feels different. I don't know why." "Sir," the sensor officer cried. ", we're being targeted by an orbital battlestation. It has a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. It's firing!" "Blow it out of the sky!" Cody said. "Which one? The station or the depleted uranium slug headed right for us?" Obi-wan asked dryly. "Target the round fired at us. Do not, repeat do _not_ engage any target. Relay that to the fleet." The _Courageous_'s laser batteries shifted in response and fired at the MAC round. They barely made it. It disintegrated before their eyes just in time. "General Kenobi, that station is hailing us." The technician paused. "Sir...it's...a radio wave frequency." Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. _Radio? _He thought. _Are they even still in use?_ What he said instead was, " Patch them through." _This is going to either get interesting or get deadly._


	3. Chapter 3

**Halo 2: Act II: Attack of the Clones**

"Lord Hood, the new arrivals are receiving us...at least I think they are. Their communications suite is absolutely _nothing_ like ours." Lord Hood nodded once. "Thank you Ensign." He stepped over to the console nearest him and keyed the switch to transmit. "This is Lord Hood of the United Nations Space Command. Identify yourselves or turn around." For several seconds there was silence. Then there was a small burst of static. "Th...Grand Ar...publi..." Lord Hood frowned. There was definitely English there but the transmission was scrambled to hell. Then they began to grow more coherent. "Repeat th..the Grand Army o—the Republi--," then suddenly it finally cleared up. "I repeat this is General Kenobi of the Grand Army of the Republic to the faction that has identified itself as the United Nations Space Command. Please respond." Kenobi. What a strange name. "This is Lord Hood. We're receiving you...Kenobi was it?" "Yes it is. Just what is going on?" "Before I answer that...one second please."

"Yes it is. Just what is going on?" Kenobi asked. "Before I answer that...one second please." Cody looked at the monitor nearest him. "Sir, they're repositioning their MAC gun. It no longer has us acquired...It's firing!" But this time it was streaking at a ship with smooth lines and an iridescent purple color. It impacted on the ships' rear aft. They watched at the ship ripped itself apart. "Anyway as you can see, we are under attack by...wait...who are you people again? The Grand Army of...", Lord Hood's voice trailed off. Cody glanced at Obi-wan, who was frowning deeply. "How do they not know who we are?",Obi-wan asked in a whisper. "Please standby."Obi-wan said and shutoff the comm. Just as quietly, Cody replied, "Perhaps they have developed apart from the rest of the Republic. The same goes for those other ships. Both factions are like nothing I've ever seen. If it wasn't for the fact that we made a blind jump from those Seps at Dantooine, we may have never found these people. Sir? Are you even listening?" Obi-wan nodded, still frowning, and nodded toward the console he was looking at. "Cody...take a look and tell me what you see." Cody looked at the object of Obi-wans' interest. He shrugged. "A picture of the galaxy." Obi-wans' head bobbed up and down. "Yes it is. But is it _our_ galaxy?" Cody's head snapped back to the holo-display. His spine went cold with dread. He stiffened. "Are you serious sir?" Obi-wan looked up at Cody's faceplate. "Commander, for all the time you have known me, when have I not been serious?" Cody doffed off his helmet and smirked at his comrade. "Well, there have been a couple of times when you've attempted a joke but..." Obi-wan just stared at him for a few seconds. Then he laughed. "You're right Commander. Humor has never been my strong suite." Cody cocked his head to the side. "Well, Skywalker _does_ seem to have rubbed off a little." Obi-Wan pretended to shudder. "Oh _my_. _Never_ joke like that Cody. You'll gave me a heart attack." Cody grinned. "And you said you'd never get a sense of humor." "Commander, the _Resolute_ is hailing us, General Skywalker standing by." Cody depressed the transmission switch and Anakin Skywalker materialized in front of them, his image distorted by pixels. "Master, we sent out a hail to one of the attacking ships, and we've received no response, unless you call orienting to attack position and moving to intercept us a response." Obi-Wan sighed. "If she fires on you, then you are free to engage them. But try to hold out on weapons." Anakin smiled. "You know Master, you're a bit puzzling. A great warrior who'd rather talk, a good pilot who hates to fly, a comedian without meaning to be..." Obi-Wan glowered at Anakin. "Young Jedi, remember what Master Yoda says. 'War does not--" "Make one great'; yeah, yeah, I know." A clone officer came walking over to Obi-Wan and whispered in his ear. "Sir, that ship that General Skywalker hailed is charging weapons." Obi-Wan looked at Anakin. "I assume that you know you're about to be fired upon." "Yeah, I guessed as much." "Just be careful." "Come on Master. You know me. You're the negotiator and I'm the warrior." "Anyway, I'm sure Ahsoka will take care of you. Speaking of which..." "She's in the hanger prepping for launch." "Sir, shots fired!", the sensor officer cried.

Seconds later, the deck bucked beneath Ahsoka's feet as several energy blasts dissipated against the shields. She donned her flight helmet and, with some help from the Force, vaulted into her cockpit. "Ar-three, start up the engines." She then keyed for the squadron comm frequency, while engaging herself with the start-up launch sequence. "All right boys, let's get out there." She gingerly pushed the thruster control lever forward as her ship lifted up off the deck. Her modified _Delta-7_ Aethersprite slowly inched forward through the magnetic containment field. As soon as she was clear of the field, she punched it, the force of the thrusters pushing her back into her seat. Behind her the rest of her squadron of V-19's formed up as they accelerated towards the distant enemy ship, even now still firing on the _Resolute_ relentlessly. "All squadron members report in." She said. "This is Green Four. Ready to go." "This is Green Six, all systems optimal, ready to kick some arse." "Green Three is, well, green sir." "Green Six and Seven reporting in sir." "Don't forget me! Green Eight, re'ering to go. Sir." "And of course, Green Two ready and willing." Ahsoka frowned. "Where's Five?" "He's still making repairs since Dantooine." Ahsoka grinned. "Well too bad for him, he's gonna miss out on the fun."

"Lord Hood, a Covenant CCS Battlecruiser has fired on the arrivals. They've launched what looks to 2 groups of fighters in response and are returning fire." Lord Hood looked down at the console in front of him. "What kind of weapons are they using?" "Energy based sir. It's not plasma sir, it's actually laser energy, but of a greater magnitude than I've ever seen." Lord Hood rolled his neck around, trying to get rid of this incessant ache that seemed to never go away. "Well, let's help them out. Maybe they'll help _us_ and God knows that we could use some help." He looked at the weapons officer. "Target that CCS Battlecruiser and fire the MAC gun." _They had better say __thank you,_ He thought to himself.

Ahsoka and her pilots were halfway to the enemy ship when several purple fighters launched from it. _What _is_ it with them and purple?_ she thought. She brought her fighter on a head to head course with the lead enemy fighter as her squad formed up behind her. Just before they reached weapons range, she saw a yellow blur out of the right corner of her eye, zooming towards the enemy fighters. She grinned maliciously and increased speed. _Your not gonna take _my_ kills Sky Guy._

Anakin squeezed the trigger and watched in satisfaction as blue darts of energy fired from his laser cannons and impacted on the center of the fighter formation. Two bolts burned through the engines of one ship; it exploded in a blue firestorm. The next one he targeted exploded without his help, as did the one next to it. He glanced to the left and saw Ahsoka's ship spitting blue laser fire like an angry Jawa. Her voice came over the comm. "It's looks like I'm one...make that two kills ahead of you Master," she said as another fighter exploded in blue flames. He smirked. "Not for long my overconfident little Padawan." "Who's the overconfident one?" Suddenly there was a shriek of energy on shields and Anakin instinctively barrel rolled to the left, inverting while making a crisp 180 degree loop. "Artoo, boost power to the shields." He looked for the fighter that had fired on him and found it trying to run, off to his right. "Get back here you little womp rat. I'm not done with you just yet."

Admiral Yularen was managing the battle from the _Resolute_'s bridge. Four other enemy ships had joined the first in attacking and were pounding the Venator's shields. She and two other Republic Attack Cruisers had counter-attacked and damaged one ship critically; it had stopped firing and the engines were glowing only at sporadic intervals. They then had shifted fire to another and had only damaged it slightly. It's armor was rather tough but was being slagged inch by inch. But these ships were dangerous opponents. They had one incredibly powerful beam weapon that rather reminded Yularen of the _Malevolence,_ in that it disabled the _Defiance_ in one shot. Yularen looked forward to the end of this battle, his ships were already damaged from Dantooine.

One officer walked over to him, interrupting his thoughts. "Sir, that station is preparing to fire." He appraised the clone. "Is it targeting us?" "No sir. It's targeting one of those cruisers." As if on cue, the topmost spire of the station was bathed in gold light as it fired a ferric tungsten round at a speed of roughly half the speed of light speed. Five seconds later, the station fired a second round just as the first one hit. The cruiser imploded from the sheer force of the impact and the thermodynamic energy directed through the shields. A second cruiser met the same fate as the next MAC round hit the ship dead-center. Another ship exploded, this time from turbolaser fire from the _Allegiance_ and the _Courageous._ The last remaining ship fired furiously as it retreated to what it thought was a safe distance. Too bad they didn't know of General Skywalker's 'little upgrade'. "Fire the SPHA-T. Let them know we can shoot shiny beams too." The Self-Propelled-Heavy-Artillery-Turbolaser was a ground based weapon used to pound shielded installations to dust. Skywalker had noted that it was also a good weapon against capitals and had ordered one fixed to the ventral side of the _Resolute'_s hull. There was flash of blue light that, for three seconds, seemed to connect the two ships. Then with a brilliant explosion, as the beam burrowed into the cruiser's reactor core, the entire ship burst apart. "Fine job. Regroup the fleet and send the UNSC our thanks." "Yes sir."


	4. Chapter 4

**Halo 2: Act III: Attack of the Clones**

The Chief walked down the street, picking his way through rubble and wreckage. He was on hair trigger alert. The Covenant had attempted to ambush him several times, causing the deaths of the Marines accompanying him from the downed Pelican and also forcing him to listen to Cortana's lecture of how he should be more careful because she 'was in here too'. He heard the scrapping sound of metal on metal over Cortanas' riveting seminar on how _not_ to die and turned around in a flash. He had caught a Grunt trying to sneak up on him. The offending little creature froze in it's tracks and started to shake from fright. John decided not to waste the ammo and instead of shooting it in the head said, "Boo." The Grunt squealed and dove behind a wrecked car faster than chain lighting. John chuckled to himself and took a step forward when he heard a snick. He immediately ducked and brought his borrowed Battle Rifle around to his left and up. A beam of concentrated energy passed through the space his had occupied just moments ago. His return burst caught the Jackal sniper under the chin and penetrated it's brain, killing it instantly. As it fell and hit the ground, the Grunt from earlier had again tried to sneak up on him, only to be smashed into the ground by the Jackal's body. The grunt scrambled out from under the corpse frantically and in his rush to be free, his plasma grenade got caught on the Jackals' finger, which twitched at the worst possible moment and armed the grenade. The Grunt looked down in horror to see a blue light glowing ever brighter on his waist. He screamed in terror and tried to throw it, only succeeding in sticking it to his hand. The screams caught John's attention who looked over just in time to see the Grunt explode in a strobe of blue light. He just shook his head. "I'll never understand how those poor little things can even be considered cannon fodder," Cortana commented. "They're not. They're the cannon fodder _for_ cannon fodder." Cortana laughed.

A few minutes later he came across a pair of Marines, one of whom was hyper-ventilating, while the other one was cool as a cucumber, albeit a bit frustrated. "It blew right past us," she said, gazing after the rear end of a Scarab tank receding down the bridge. "50 .Cal, rockets; didn't do a thing." John looked after the Scarab. _What I wouldn't give for a tank right now_. No sooner than the thought crossed his mind, a Pelican soared over the site and turned to land, a Scorpion Tank hanging from the aft section. To say the least, John was surprised. Usually fate made him fight uphill for everything.

He wasn't even surprised when he saw Johnson leap out the back of the Pelican as well. He glanced at the Chief as he approached for a moment before turning his attention to the woman. "Where's the rest of your platoon?", he asked. Grimly she replied, "Wasted Sarge." Just then the other Marine found the strength to stand up and speak. "And we will too sir! If we don't get the _hell_ out of here!" He made to move past the Sergeant, but Johnson caught him by the shoulder without looking at him. "You hurt Marine?", he asked pointedly. "The other's voice quavered as he said, "N-no-no sir." Johnson looked him dead in the eye and barked, "Then listen up!" He looked at them all. "Usually the good Lord works in strange and mysterious ways---but _not_ today!" He gestured to the imposing tank behind him as he said, "This here is 66 tons of straight up, H-E spewing, _DIVINE INTERVENTION!_" He looked at directly at the cowardly Marine. "If God is love, then you can call me cupid." The woman motioned in the direction of the Covenant behemoth. "What about that Scarab?" Johnson turned to look in that direction as he pulled out yet another of his endless supply of cigars. "We've all run the simulations. They're tough but they ain't invincible." Looking purposefully at John, he said, "Stick with the Master Chief; he'll know what to do." John scoffed. _Figures he would dump them on me. _But he kept his mouth shut. Cortana, on the other hand, couldn't. "Thanks for the tank. _He_ never gets me anything." John couldn't help but smile at that. Johnson had settled into the back of the Pelican as it readied for takeoff, straddling the machine gun. "Oh I know what the ladies like," he said. As the Pelican lifted off, Johnson yelled down, "Hey Chief, make sure you keep an eye on that one." He pointed at the male attempting to sidle off unnoticed. John looked over but before he could grab him, the female Marine had strode over, grabbed the Marine by the shirt front, dragged him _back_ to the tank, and plopped him into the turret gunner seat. She simply said, "Stay," as one might say to a dog, and locked him into the cubicle. John simply shook his head in amazement as he walked over to the Scorpion Tank and sat in the driver's seat. As he made to close the cover, the female Marine said, "I'll watch that idiot Melvin. You just shoot."

Lord Hood watched as the UNSC Halcyon- class cruiser _Breaking Horizon_'s MAC gun spat a ferric tungsten round straight through the shields of a Covenant Destroyer, impacting on the hull, leaving a sizable mark. Archer Missiles lanced out from missile pods and exploded against the shields. The Destroyer turned with deadly intent toward the UNSC vessel---only to be distracted by two Republic _Consular-_class Light Cruisers slashing across the larger ship's bow. The two small ships peppered the Covenant ship with laser fire from twin turbolaser cannons. Their firepower, even combined, was not enough to drain the shields. It was akin to a Kowakian Monkey Lizard trying to beat up a Rancor, but it distracted the Covenant ship for a few precious seconds as the UNSC vessel broke off. Their job completed, the two ships split up on either side of the Destroyer, easily dodging the return fire from the slow plasma torpedoes and disengaging from the Covenant vessel as the _Resolute_ closed to point blank range with the _Fires of Redemption_. The Republic gunners wasted no time at all in unloading their lethal payload on the starboard of the enemy ship, riddling the side of the vessel with scorch marks, fires, and explosions. The return fire from the _Redemption_ had no visible effect upon it's Republic counterpart, other than to cause the guns to increase their rate of fire. Lord Hood shook his head in amazement as he turned to the screen before him. "I must say I'm impressed Kenobi. The damage your ships can take is astounding, as is their ability to deal out punishment." The man Kenobi smiled. "And I must say that I am impressed by the tenacity with which you defend you're home." Lord Hood nodded as he gave a smile of his own. "It's so good to be loved." Kenobi chuckled and said, "Indeed. Now," he said frowning, "What can you tell me about this ... Covenant." Lord Hood sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Not very much I'm afraid. Our first contact was hostile. One of our ships came across one of their's and they attacked after saying that our elimination was the will of their gods and they were their instrument. Directly after, they laid siege to a planet we called Harvest." He grimaced as he recalled the incident. "At first things were going well. We drove back their first attempts to take the planet. But then...they arrived in force." He leaned forward and cupped his hands underneath his chin. "They massacred our troops and our fleet. Once that was done with, they glassed the planet." Kenobi's frown deepened. "What do you mean, _glassed_?" "They glassed the planet's surface with their ships. Literally _glass_ due to the fact that their plasma weapons could fire for sustained periods at maximum heat and power. The planet was rendered uninhabitable and was lost. Since then, things have assumed a pattern. They come, wipe out the fleet, land troops, decimate our forces, then glass the planet. Every now and then we'll win an engagement on the ground, but not without severe casualties."

Obi-wan sat, silent as rock, for a time. Then he said, "Lord Hood, I hereby offer you our assistance, in exchange for a place to keep our fleet when at berth." Lord Hoods' grim expression brightened somewhat. "Thank you Obi-Wan. On behalf of the UNSC, I formally accept your offer of aid. Let's just hope," Hood said, growing somber once more, "That this will be enough."

The Spartan walked out of the smoking remnants of the Scarab's metal carcass, as nonchalant as if he were ordering dinner, holding his rifle in a one handed grip. He looked up to the Covenant Carrier still hovering above the city. Hearing a whine to the left behind him, he turned around to see Johnson in his Pelican, hovering next to to him. Johnson was crowing with delight. "Oh yeah, that's right you mothers, RUN!" As he said this the Carrier's rear flared in a burst of light, as it's engines came online. Slowly it began to push it's way forward. Commander Keyes came over the radio. "Not if we can help it Sergeant. Extract the Chief and return to _In Amber Clad_." He acknowledged the order and Keyes signed off. As the John lumbered into the cargo bay, Johnson called back, "So, what's next Chief? First a Covenant capital ship, then a Scarab...what else ya got in mind? Try a Halo. That should be a challenge at least." John shook his head. "I never _ever _want to hear of another Halo."


	5. Chapter 5

**Halo 2: Act IV: Attack of the Clones**

Last time:

_The Spartan walked out of the smoking remnants of the Scarab's metal carcass, as nonchalant as if he were ordering dinner, holding his rifle in a one handed grip._

_He looked up to the Covenant Carrier still hovering above the city._

_Hearing a whine to the left behind him, he turned around to see Johnson in his Pelican, hovering next to to him._

_Johnson was crowing with delight._

"_Oh yeah, that's right you mothers, RUN!" _

_As he said this the Carrier's rear flared in a burst of light, as it's engines came online. _

_Slowly it began to push it's way forward. _

_Commander Keyes came over the radio. _

"_Not if we can help it Sergeant. Extract the Chief and return to In Amber Clad." _

_He acknowledged the order and Keyes signed off. _

_As the John lumbered into the cargo bay, Johnson called back, "So, what's next Chief? First a Covenant capital ship, then a Scarab...what else ya got in mind? Try a Halo. That should be a challenge at least." _

_John shook his head. "I never ever want to hear of another Halo."_

The second she finished with Johnson, she queued for Lord Hood. He came on screen almost immediately.

"What is it Commander?", he asked. "Sir, the Prophet's bugging out, requesting permission to engage."

Her superior shook his head. "Negative on that last. I'll vector two heavies for star side intercept---." He was cut off as Miranda's sensor operator cried, "Ma'am, slipspace rupture off the target's bow! It's going to jump...inside the city!"

Instantly, she made her decision. Either way, with or without consent, she was going in. "Sir, there's no time." Lord Hood sighed and looked off screen for a moment, then nodded. "Green light, green light to engage."

She let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you sir," she said quietly.

She waited until the last Pelican had been secured then ordered the ship full ahead.

"Punch it."

The ship's engines flared to life in a flash of bright yellow and orange, leaving exhaust and flame in the Destroyer's wake. The helmsman took them in close to the Carrier's flank, until they were close enough to scrape paint off the sides of both ships.

A ripple materialized in front of the Carrier's bow and quickly swelled to enormous proportions. The helmsman began to panic. "Ma'am I don't have a vector, I'm not set, we can't just g---", "We are _not_ losing that ship!" she snapped at him. The man flinched and tried to sit upright. Then both ships jumped.

The sudden displacement of such a massive amount of air resulted in a a huge void that the surrounding air rushed to fill, creating a vacuum. The resulting shockwave decimated the surrounding area for miles.

The flash could be seen from orbit.


	6. Chapter 6

**Halo 2: Act 7: Attack of the Clones**

**Pursuit**

Obi-Wan and Lord Hood were discussing the best way to deploy the fleet against the remaining Covenant ships, which were being reinforced by more vessels arriving from Slipspace.

Obi-wan glanced to the side out the window, and caught a glimpse of a flash of light. He turned his head to get a better view of it, and what he saw aroused his curiosity.

"What", he asked, gesturing to the window ," Is that?" The man opposite him looked. His expression became that of concern and horror as he rose from his chair. "That is where New Mombasa is," he said as he turned to the monitor at his side. "Or rather, where it _was_." He looked up and said, "It's gone." Obi-wan stared at the other for a moment, then blinked. "Gone," he deadpanned. "What does _gone_ mean, exactly?" "It should be obvious. Gone means not here, as in non-existent." Lord Hood still looked dismayed. "It must have been that Assault Carrier..." he trailed off. "Well, this changes everything," Kenobi said. Hood took a deep breath. "Yes, it certainly does. I still have Marines down there but the Covenant control the skies, those damned Banshees shoot whatever we send down there." The UNSC officer paused. "Do you think-", "Yes, I'll have my forces clear the skies. We'll also help you evacuate the area." Lord Hood inclined his head to his counterpart and actually smiled. "Thank you. Every man and woman that we can extract from there is a life saved." "You can thank me later. Right now, every second counts. I'll give the order. You should get your people prepped for evacuation," Kenobi said as he walked briskly to the hanger. As he walked, Obi-Wan keyed his comm. "Cody have the gunship ready when I get there, we're leaving the station right now." "Of course sir. Any reason why we're pushing the envelope?" "We are going to save some friends Cody. To save some friends."

Anakin pulled out of a loop and banked to starboard, directly behind his target. He stroked the trigger twice. The shots blew out the Seraphs' engines and it careened crazily into the hull of a Covenant Destroyer, taking out the command structure, by luck. _Obi-Wan would probably say, There is no luck, only the Force._ "Anakin!" Typical. The very _instant_ he thought about him, here he was in his comm. "Master? What's the—hold on!" Anakin pulled his fighter through a corkscrew and threw it into a barrel roll to port, then up, then down, then port again. The one Seraph he had picked up had somehow manged to not only follow his maneuvers, but had also managed to close some distance. It fired a couple of salvos. Anakin banked right to avoid them, and narrowly missed splattering himself across a CCS Battlecruiser's aft section. _This guy is_ good.

The Sanghelli piloting the Seraph, Vamar'e Anare'ee, was one of the best the Covenant had to offer. His total kill count was 89 and today he looked forward to at _least_ an even 90. The heretical pilot in that _ridiculously_ colored fighter was very good and was leading him on a wild goose chase through the battle. Vamar'e scoffed. A fighter colored in a bright yellow practically begged to be slapped down. Nevertheless, he was becoming increasingly frustrated with the human's erratic maneuvers. He opted to speak to the human, to taunt him, perhaps to make him angry. Angry pilots died more easily, were prone to more mistakes. "What is the matter human? Too pathetic to at least attempt to make this interesting?", he challenged. After a few moments he got a response from his adversary. "No, just enjoying the scenery. It's amazing, watching my fleet tear into yours." The Elite snarled and said, "Just as you will get torn apart. I wish to rip you apart with my bare hands but plasma cannons will have to do." The other laughed, even as he threw his starfighter into the midst of a broadside from a cruiser. "We'll see, Elite. I haven't pulled out all the stops yet. By the way, whats your kill count?" The Elite puffed up with pride as he said, "Eighty-Nine and today you will be my Ninetieth kill. It is a great honor," he added sadistically. "Well," the human said, "I currently have...give me a second, I have to look through the archives...Ok, 762 kills, not counting the 39 I have today. And remember, I have some tricks left. R2, reverse thrusters." The yellow fighters' engines flared and the Seraph shot past him. Vamar'e was aghast. The oldest trick in the book, and he had fell for it. He closed his eyes as he waited for the human to finish it.

Anakin pulled on the tail of his foe and he settled his finger on the trigger...and stopped. Something was nagging him, urging him not to fire. The Force wanted him to spare the Elite, as they were called. He took his finger off the trigger and gripped his controls tightly. "Human, finish it." Great, now it was conflicting advice. "No." He knew he had to obey the Force, but that wasn't made easier when the other pilot clearly wanted to die. "What are you waiting for? I am beaten. Or are you too weak?", the other challenged. However, Anakin felt the others' bravado and despair. " I'm not weak. Nor am I stupid. So I will let you go. I have 801 kills...and I let you go. Think about it." With that, he banked to starboard and headed back to ground. He keyed Obi-Wan's comm. "What were you saying Master?" "Anakin, I need you and Ashoka and any others you can scrape up to clear the skies around New Mombasa's...former location." Alright Obi-Wan. Anything else?" "Yes, if you can, lead the troops into battle. While we're evacuating the UNSC, we're going to begin a diversionary assault, as well as establish a base to commence operations." So the action wasn't over yet. "Very well. Be there soon." "I'm sure. Kenobi out." Skywalker keyed Ashoka. "Snips? You there?" After a handful of heartbeats, the comm crackled. "Yes Master?" "You up for another round on the ground?" "Oh Master!" "What?" "You finally learned to rhyme. How awful." She sighed with disgust. "Now along with the bad jokes...ugh." "Ok Snips, I know I can be really bad with the jokes. But really, are you good to go?" "Ok master. See you groundside."


	7. Chapter 7

**Halo 2: Act 7: Attack of the Clones**

**Pursuit (Part 2)**

"_I have 801 kills...and I let you go. Think about it." _These words, spoken by that heretic, had left Vamar'e pondering the humans' decision. The human obviously did not bulk at the kill. And then there was the fact that Vamar'e had let him go. He had felt the urge to blast the fighter to pieces...but he had held himself back. The drive to kill had left him and, strangely enough, he was left feeling...empty, like his life held no meaning. As he steered for the hangar of the nearest CCS Battlecruiser, the _Divination_, he found himself thinking heresy; was this war worth it? He felt out of place and _different_, he found that he wanted peace and quiet. He stepped out onto the Seraphs' gravity lift and floated downwards to the deck. The Elite tending to the Seraph's systems looked towards him and gave a gruff nod of respect. "Hail brother. How was the slaughter?" Vamar'e looked at the other and gave a nod in return. "The battle was splendid and I delved in the blood of many humans today. I have business I must attend to brother." He laid a hand on his craft. He had grown fond of her during his many battles. "Tend to her well. It would not do to have her fall apart beneath me in combat." He walked down the long hallways and came to his quarters. Opening the doors, he stepped inside. He sidled over to his bed and laid down. _Perhaps sleep will calm my mind_. Closing his eyes, he fell into a fitful slumber. Little did he know that the Force had a path planned for him. One that would take him to greatness. Little did he know, too, that his greatest enemy would also become his greatest friend.

"Ahsoka, slip and dip." Anakin and Ahsoka's fighters moved in tandem, evading plasma fire, twisting and rolling so close to each other that Anakin could count the stripes on Ahsoka's head tails. "Snips, split." Abruptly, they split formation, the 10 Seraphs chasing them moved to follow and found their fellows in the way. Eight Seraphs crashed headlong into each other and it was only by chance that the other two managed to survive. They split and followed the two Jedi. _On even terms,_ Anakin thought._ Numerically, that is!_ He grinned. "Skyguy, you need to pick up the pace. You behind by 5 kills. You're as slow as a Rancor sometimes." Anakin keyed his comm. "And _you_ have a tendency towards verbal abuse," he said even as he and Ahsoka flew almost directly at each other—_almost_. They flew by each other, a _fingers_ length from the other. With their fighters agile and thin design, they barely completed the maneuver without crashing. Their enemies, bulky by comparison, had no chance. They collided with a flash of blue fire that consumed both craft totally. Forming up on each other, the unstoppable pair of Jedi penetrated the cloud layer. Anakin keyed the _Courageous_. "Obi-Wan, we've entered the lower atmosphere. Start landing the troops and get the larties down here." Larties was slang for the LAAT/i Gunships that had become the staple of the Republic Army. "Roger that. And Anakin, _try_ to be careful." "Yeah, yeah, gotta go, bye!" They had just dove below the clouds and gotten their first glimpse of the planet below. And the first thing they saw was a host of Banshees swarming to intercept. "Uh, Master?" Ahsoka sounded uncertain and even he had his doubts. "Hey Snips, you got any ideas?" "Me?! You're the Master and I'm the apprentice! I'm supposed to be learning from _you_!" "Well, Obi-Wan says a good Master listens to their apprentice. I'm listening Ahsoka!" "_NOW YOU WANT TO LISTEN?!"_ "Well--" The comm crackled. "This is UNSC Longsword Flight 218. You new guys want some help?" Even as the gruff man spoke, 18 Longsword multi-purpose fighter-bombers dove from the clouds directly above the Banshees, tearing into the swarm with 120mm Cannons and missiles. Soon there was nothing but blue smoke and fire and spare parts. The Longswords formed up around the two Jedi Starfighters, acting as escorts. Anakin tapped a couple of keys on his dashboard then spoke. "Thanks for the assist Longsword Flight." "No problem Yellow. Thank Fleet Admiral Lord Hood. He ordered us to shadow you and assist if needed." "I'll be sure to drop him a thank you card." The first of the gunships had broken cloud cover...followed by another...and another...then came 28 more in formation, then another 34. The UNSC pilot whistled. "You guys are serious." Anakin laughed. "Those are only the start. Say goodbye to the Covenant, they've overstayed their welcome." The words had barely left his mouth when two Acclamator-class Assault Ships dropped through the clouds and headed for the outskirts of New Mombasa, the only part of the mega city that had survived. "What the hell is that?" "Thats an Assault ship. It can carry 16,000 troops plus accompanying armor." R2 tweeted at him. "Uh...what was that?" The UNSC pilot asked. "That was my astromech droid. He helps with navigation and repairs. What was that R2?" The droid tweeted again and blatted at him. It was berating him for not paying attention to two things: to _him_ and to the group of enemies inbound to their position. "Ok, Ok, I'll pay better attention next time." R2 bleated and then blew a raspberry. "I will too! I promise I will." The droid was quiet for a second then beeped an acceptance. "Ok, we've got enemy fighters inbound. Let's go get 'em!"

UNSC Marine Micheal Felps tossed a frag grenade into a group of grunts. They peered at the round, shiny piece of metal curiously...it exploded, scattering them in a shower of blue blood. The Brute commanding them looked over for a second, only to feel something nudge his foot. Looking down, he saw a metal sphere next to his foot. His eyes widened. He roared in fear and anger and, as the grenade went of, in agony. He fell, mortally wounded. Two Elite Majors dove out of cover, laying down precise fire with their plasma rifles. Two bolts hit uncomfortably close to Mike's position. He decided to duck before his head got blown off. As he took cover and reloaded his Battle Rifle, his British friend Archer Townsend crouch-ran over to him and said, "Mate, we are _screwed_. Totally screwed. We've got some Elites flanking us and we lost the last of our bloody tanks. We are totally--" "Yes Archie, I get the picture, thanks...whats that you got there?" Archer looked down. "Oh, this?" He pulled out a blue ball. "I dunno. Picked it off a dead grunt." "Lemme get it," Mike said as he snatched it out of Archie's hand. He primed the plasma grenade and threw it over the wall. He and Archer chanced a glance over the wall just in time to see it stick to the wall of a broken building. It detonated as a Ghost zoomed past, killing the grunt driver. The Grunt's body slumped backwards in the seat, and his arms also drew back, activating the throttle. The Ghost turned ponderously into the group assaulting the Marines position...and Mike's jaw dropped as the Ghost plowed straight through the massed Covenant soldiers. It finished its' wrathful journey as it smashed headlong into a Shade turret. Both exploded in a shower of blue sparks. Some precise fire from the other Marines sent the Covenant survivors scurrying for cover. They exchanged wide-eyed glances. "Mike, can you do that again? And again?"

Micheal found himself looking through the optics of a Rocket Launcher as he aimed at an Elite laying down fire on Archer's position. _Okay Mike. Think lucky. Just think lucky...no pressure._ He fired. The launcher kicked back against his shoulder as the rocket leapt away. The Elite didn't see the shaped charge coming, but he did see bullets depleting his shields. He deployed a deployable barrier...just as the rocket reached his position. It hit the edge of the shield and ricocheted upwards at 75 degree angle into a building. And to compound the problem, a quartet of Wraiths decided to turn the corner. _Damn it_. But as the rocket exploded against the building, the vibrations snapped the already fragile foundations. The 24 story building trembled, then sank an inch as the foundations sheared from the building's base. The shockwave caught the combatants attention and all ceased fire. The lucky Elite looked up as the building loomed over him. It tilted slightly and shifted a little to the right. Then it stopped. The Elite sighed with relief. Then a a pair of fighters above, one brown and one yellow, broke through the clouds. The sonic boom cracked through the air like a whip...and finally tipped the building off it's precarious axis. It shifted and toppled over the Covenant formation. The Elite barely had time to cry out before he was buried under tons of concrete and steel. Micheal stared at the carnage laid before him in amazement. Archer scrambled up the hill of debris that they had been using as cover to stand next to him. "Mate, play the lottery. We could both use the money. Bloody hell."


	8. Chapter 8

**Halo 2: Attack of the Clones: **

**Breaking the Siege**

The first of the two Acclamators extended it's massive landing gear as it touched down on the outskirts of former New Mombasa. As it settled down, the large landing ramp extended from the ventral side of the hull. By this time the situation was desperate. The UNSC Marines and the Army were barely clinging onto their positions and had taken horrific casualties. As the lip of the ramp kissed the ground, what could only be described as a stream of men in stark, white armor marched down the ramp in perfect rank and file, moving as one body. The Covenant had since learned of these new enemies and had lay in wait for this moment. The first Covenant wraith elevated its plasma mortar and charged the energy pulse forming in its grasp. As the first clone troopers reached solid ground, the mortar kicked back against its supports as it fired a roiling ball of blue plasma. It fell 25 feet short of the intended target and exploded. The Brute operator adjusted his aim. The entrenched Covenant Armour spoke in one voice, loosing a tumultuous volley into the sky.

Captain Rex didn't hesitate. "Take cover!" he roared. The disciplined line of men broke formation and scattered to whatever available cover was nearest. Mere seconds later, the rippling salvo of plasma slammed into the ramp and hull of the Assault vessel. The armor of the ship, designed to withstand direct fusion rocket fire, shrugged off the fusillade and activated its own weapon systems. The quad turbolaser batteries turned on the source of the incoming barrage and charged their systems. The Covenant had inflicted too much harm on the innocent. In the eyes of the Clones, reckoning had arrived and it was time for an accounting. The cannons fired.

Blue fire streaked back and forth across the battlefield. It was a tantalizing light show that was both beautiful and deadly. From this height it looked quite peaceful. Too bad it wasn't. "Give the order to fire."

The second Acclamator had hung back in low orbit as a precaution. As the battle unfolded beneath her, the _Royale_ fired a precise 12-shot volley of 200 gigaton turbolaser blasts into the entrenched Covenant positions.

The Elite Field Master, Bree' Trion'ee looked away from the Republic forces as a turbolaser salvo from orbit rang out. The bolts shattered his right flank and left his central formation in tatters. Furious, he ordered a Seraph strike on the Assault Ship raining hell from above. Once the orders were relayed, he established communications with the rest of his command. "All units, forward! We will deal them a death blow at close range and storm their ship! We will take their information and use it against them. We will be victorious! For the Gods! For the Covenant!" As one the Sanghelli roared and charged at the Clone troops as the Wraiths and Locusts rose from their sheltered positions and lumbered forward. The Field Master himself rose from his post. Snatching the hilt of his energy sword from the magnetic clip on his waist, he sprinted over the no-mans-land, taking 3 feet with each stride.

"Captain Rex! Here they come!" As the Captain looked out over the battlefield, the enemy charged. " Put some fire on them! Ask _Royale_ for some support."

"Sorry Captain, I am ordered to tell you that we are unable to provide fire support. We have our own problems." _Royale_ had just encountered the Seraph strike and was now busy utilizing her weapons for her own defense. Turbolaser cannons flashed, striking Seraphs from the sky like flies. The ship's commanding officer, Commander Harsk, looked on smugly as his ship decimated the enemy fighters. " Sir!" Harsk didn't bother to turn around. "Yes?" "Sir, we have an enemy Battlecruiser closing with us. They'll be on top of us any minute!" Now Harsk whirled on the unfortunate clone officer. "What?! Why wasn't I informed earlier?" Harsk demanded. "Sir, three UNSC vessels and two of our light cruisers engaged her, but she just destroyed the _Halcyons_ sent after her, and our ships had to retreat." " Bring us about! Prepare to engage that Covenant ship. We have to buy time for the _Tempest_. She's vulnerable while she's on the ground. Send out a signal to General Kenobi for reinforcements. And deploy the troops by air. We have 16,000 troops onboard, and I'm not about to have them go down with the ship. Send what fighters we have to escort the dropships." The _Acclamator-_class Assault Ship turned ponderously to starboard as her engines labored to alter her course. Seconds later, her remaining ARC-170 Heavy Fighter-Bombers punched a large hole in the Seraph formation. As several stayed behind to keep behind to keep the gap open, a stream of gunships and dropships rushed though the opening to the ground. Harsk nodded inwardly in grim satisfaction as the transports escaped. "Open fire on that cruiser." The _Royale_'s quad turbolaser batteries trained themselves on their target and poured a near continuous rain of superheated plasma into her shields. They had no visible effect. The same could not be said of the _Staunch Believer_'s return fire. Her heavy plasma torpedoes ripped thorough the shields like paper while the heavy plasma cannons traced explosions along her starboard side, venting artificial atmosphere and bodies. Another explosion threw Harsk to the floor. He spat blood out of his mouth. "Sound the alarm, all crew abandon ship. Get everyone to the escape pods." As the bridge crew hurried to the escape pod bay, one ensign looked back at Harsk. "Sir, what about you?" "You go Ensign. I have a duty to take care of. Go!" Harsk seated himself in his command chair and watched the pod bay indicator until the lights stopped blinking, telling him that all pods had been jettisoned. He keyed in three commands. The first pointed the ships' bow directly at her opponent. The second command disabled the gravity well safeties. The third activated the hyperdrive.

"_Osik_," Rex said as the _Royale_ made the jump to lightspeed...directly into the CCS Battlecruiser's port side. It had twice the effect of a super MAC round. The once proud Assault Ship plowed into her counterpart at twice the speed of light, sheering through the shields and slamming into the hull, blasting both vessels to oblivion_. Harsk, you crazy bastard_. As the cloud of smoke and fine debris cleared, numerous Republic troopships became visible. "Yeah! Reinforcements!" A cheer went out among the clones. Rex stood up from cover and looked at the looming enemy line charge. "Alright boys, time to earn your armor! Charge! " The clones rushed forward with cries of ' for the Republic! ' and ' for the Chancellor! '. The two armies prepared to collide. They did so with great gusto.

The first gunship from the _Royale_ touched down, deactivating it's magnetic clamps. Its cargo, an All-Terrain-Tactical-Enforcer dropped to the ground. It rumbled to life and began spitting verdant blue bolts towards the Covenant forces. Its 4 nose cannons tore into the Covenant troops with no remorse, consuming Elites and grunts whole. The gunner on the mighty walker's back lined up his crosshairs on a Locust.

The target in question was happily burning down clones left and right with short bursts of fire from it's plasma beam cannon. The Brute driver was even humming a savage tune in delight. He never saw the H-E shell that snuffed out his life.

" Whoa! Did you see that boom? Whew, that was a beautiful hit." The AT-TE pilot mentally shook his head. " Okay shiny. Calm down." The co-pilot frowned at him. "Aw, come on, let the kid have his fun. Just because you can't shoot worth a damn doesn't mean you have to be an ass. Keep up the fire kid. That was a nice shot."

Bree reached the charging line of clone troops and swept his sword through the nearest soldiers' armor. It sliced thorough the plastoid shell instantly and bisected the clone. He hacked his way through the Republic lines ruthlessly and cut down one, two, three, four, five more in the span of three seconds. Quite suddenly he found himself surrounded by five enemies, one of which was cradling a monster of a gun. One clone stepped forward—and found himself missing a hand and a head as the gold-adorned Elite scythed his Energy blade through a reversal. He immediately lunged for the clone with the repeating blaster. The barrel was already spinning as he leaped and by the time he was upon the clone, his opponent had already let loose with 5 bolts of energy. He buried his sword in the chest cavity and twisted it violently. He was alarmed that his shields were already half depleted. He had to find cover until his shields recharged. Two more clones approached from his left and his right, swinging the butts of their rifles at him. Bree sank to his haunches and as the clones missed, stood up and spun in a circle, sword outstretched. The two clones dropped to the ground, followed quickly by their heads. The Elite spread his mandibles wide in blood lust as he appraised the last clone. The clone, for his part, gazed steadily at the 7 and a half-foot alien in front of him, waiting patiently for the Elite to attack. Bree was not patient. He threw his sword and it whipped its way though the air and cut the clones' legs out from under him. He screamed in pain. Bree bounded forward and broke his neck with a swift stomp. Then an inspiration came to him. Selecting a plasma grenade and picking up the clones helmet, he stuffed the now armed grenade into the helmet and kicked the impromptu bomb into a large group of enemies. They were scattered in a blue maelstrom. Bree clicked his jaws together in satisfaction, feeling pleased with himself, when he heard a screech. He looked skyward in time to see a yellow blur flash past barely a meter from his head. A figure leaped from it and landed in a group of Sanghelli---and decapitated the whole lot of them with a single sweep from a single bladed energy sword.

Anakin prepared to spring into action when he heard a gruff voice to his left. " Come human. I challenge you to a duel."


	9. Chapter 9

**Halo 2: Attack of the Clones: **

**Duel to the Death**

"Fight me human," The Elite said. Anakin groaned inwardly. _You have _got _to be kidding me. And what is that in his hand?_ "Step forward and embrace death. Or are you too much of a coward? Are you afraid I will mount your head on my mantle?" The Elite continued to mock him. Anakin stiffened. He hated being called a coward. The Jedi slowly turned to face the alien and said, "I'll make your head _roll_. Bring it on." He reignited his lightsaber. The alien tightened his grip on the handle in his palm—and a two pronged energy blade sprang forth. Of all the things Anakin had expected, _that_ hadn't been one of them. He had no time to dwell on that, however, as the Elite sprang forward with inhuman speed and swiped his energy sword...and it swung through empty air as the Jedi leaped backwards. He advanced on the Elite, twisting his lightsaber through an ever more complicated Djem' Do style attack pattern. This Elite was evidently deserving of the nickname that the UNSC had bestowed upon it. It blocked every single attack with feline grace and then parried his lightsaber in between the two prongs of his sword.

Bree' gave his wicked imitation of a human grin. He twisted the energy blade and trapped his opponent's weapon with the flat of his sword. With an effort, he yanked his sword up...and stumbled backwards as the human deactivated the blade of his lightsaber. The Jedi swung his saber horizontally at the Elite's head. Bree' barely managed to bend over backwards in time to avoid the blue-hue blade of his opponent's weapon, the shaft of light even grazed the energy shield and caused it to drain by half. It was now that he noticed an apparent lull in their immediate battle zone. Elites and clones both were watching the duel with something bordering awe. He gripped the hilt of his sword even tighter. No. He would _not_ lose to a human. Not ever. **Certainly not in front of his Elites**.

Anakin was confident that he could win. He had the alien on the defensive, reacting to him, not the other way around. He grinned. _Its over __slack jaw._ Then the alien came back up. This time there was fire in it's eyes. He swore he could see sparks flying. The next second he realized he _was_ seeing sparks—their swords were locked in a battle of strength. He had apparently blocked the Elite by muscle memory alone. Anakin grunted in shock. It was an enormous effort to simply hold his lightsaber in place, let alone push back. _Speaking of pushing back..._Anakin was dismayed to see that his weapon was inching its way backwards.

Bree' could sense the end in was sight. Calling up his vast reserves of strength, he pushed his sword mercilessly against the humans' weapon. With a barbaric cry he pushed the sword toward the humans' neck.

Anakin barely managed to brace the lightsaber when the alien had pushed forward. Now he was forced to hold the lightsaber in a two-handed grip. This allowed him to use his cybernetic arm to his advantage. Servo-motors in his mechanical arm whirred as he pushed the weapon back. It was time to end this.

The Elite Field Master was astonished to see that the human was pushing back...hard. He had to weaken him somehow. Using sheer brute strength, he shoved the Jedi's weapon to the side and and danced to the left, bringing his sword up at the Jedi's right arm. The sword passed effortlessly thorough the...metal? It was a mechanical implant? Both opponents stopped for a heartbeat, both staring at the stump of the now useless arm. Then they looked at each other. The human's eyes held the promise of blood shed. With a cry, the human leaped at him. Using only his one arm, he was raining blows down on Bree's defenses, battering them into submission. He was actually forced to draw another sword to parry an extremely quick blow from the Jedi. Skywalker forced Bree' into another sword lock. Bree' was alarmed that the human was holding the lock with apparent ease now. He was now actually forcing the sword to his own neck. For the first time in his life, the Zealot Bree' Trion'ee felt fear. The Jedi leaned closer and whispered, "I am going to _**bury**_ you here."

Skywalker shoved the locked sabers through forward. They hewed through the muscle and flesh and dropped the head to the ground. The surrounding Elites gazed at him with apprehension, hate, and fear. Anakin could hear murmurs. "Demon...it must be a demon." "He killed the Field Master." "With only one hand. He is a fierce warrior." "One demon is bad enough. This one must be brought to heel." Anakin looked several warriors in the eye. He spoke with the force. "Leave this planet now if you value your lives." A small group of Elites advanced on him slowly. "You will die Demon. For the Covenant!" They sprang forward. Anakin swept through the group with ease and bisected all but one at the waist. He bisected the last one horizontally. As the two halves of the body fell apart, he asked, "Is there no one else?"As one the Elites raised their weapons. The clones leveled their's as well. "It's finished. There is no dishonor in an honorable surrender. You will be treated properly. This is my solemn promise." The Elites looked at each other uneasily. Then, hesitantly, some began to lower their weapons. Others followed and soon word spread. All over New Mombasa, Covenant forces surrendered as Republic troops began to arrive.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hello there readers! I know it's been a VERY long while since I updated last. Real life and all that jazz. Anyway, I just wanted to say that this story is not dead yet; not by a long shot. Here's the newest chapter and I will be going back and fixing some things in the previous ones. Smiles! Oh and I do not own Halo or Star Wars: Star Wars is a trademark of Lucasarts...blah blah blah, now on with the story._

**Halo 2: Attack of the Clones: **

**Taking Stock**

Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood read the dispatch from the paper on his desk. He had hoped fervently that victory would be theirs, but had never really expected to win. "Sonuvabitch. We actually beat them," he said. He read onwards. It kept getting better and better. He glanced at his Republic counterpart. "Well Obi-wan, we actually got some prisoners as well. That's rare." He muttered the last part to himself. Of course with his Force-enhanced hearing, the Jedi Master couldn't help but pull the words out of the air. "You make it sound like this is a first," Obi-wan said inquisitively. Lord Hood flicked his gaze up from the report. "It _is_ a first," he deadpanned. Obi-wan frowned. "Not a one? ", he inquired. "Nope. Well, not usually, and never en masse. They're religious zealots, the lot of them. They never surrender, show mercy, or desert. They can't be bought and they are fanatically loyal to their leaders." The UNSC leader leaned back in his chair. "And I think it's time you tell me more about this 'Republic' and ' Jedi Order ' that you say you're associated with." _Blast_, the Jedi Master thought. He was spared the long lecture by the blast doors onto _Courageous_' observation deck as they opened, admitting a man covered in grime, dried blood, and sweat...and missing his _right arm_. Hood's mouth almost dropped open, but he managed to keep his face neutral. Obi-wan, on the other hand, appeared concerned. "Anakin," he started, "What happened to your implant?" Anakin seemed a bit perplexed. "I had a run-in with an Elite armed with some kind of energy weapon, like a lightsabver. It's design was almost...artistic. So was his fighting style. He's dead. But it was close, I'll tell you that." Hood was now absolutely goggling. "You beat an Elite in one-on-one combat? Only Spartans are capable of such a feat! How...how are you even still _alive_?" Anakin looked at Hood. "I said it was close. See?" He waved his useless stump of an arm and grinned. Obi-Wan still looked troubled. "Anakin...there's something you're not telling me."

Anakin was actually a bit panicky. He had touched the dark side, more by accident than anything, almost reflexively. It had been so easy, just like on Tatooine...he should have guessed that Obi-Wan would detect something...off. He decided to bluff and hope his former master wouldn't call him out. "Well," he began, " If they all fight like this, then we'll be hard pressed to beat them back. We can't possibly fight both these Covenant and the droid army." Obi-Wan's frown deepened. Anakin could feel a bit of sweat rolling down the back of his neck, though whether from Obi-Wans' scrutiny or from his duel, he didn't know. Obi-Wan dipped his head in agreement. "Yes, you could be right at that." It took all of Anakin's willpower to keep a straight face and to project concern into his force presence to mask his relief.

Obi-Wan knew Anakin was lying. It was a good lie, really, but he could read his former apprentice like an open book. But this wasn't the time or place to bring this up, especially in front of the UNSC's highest ranking officer. He cautiously probed Anakin's force aura. He found an almost imperceptible cloud of...darkness? It chilled him. His friend caught his eye._ Not now Master,_ he seemed to say.Obi-Wan cocked an eyebrow. _We'll talk about this later,_ he shot back. He returned his attention to Lord Hood, who was speaking again, cheerfully oblivious to the unspoken exchange between the two Jedi. "...then perhaps we could come to a compromise," Hood was saying. Obi-Wan shook his head. "I promised you our support, and you will receive it." Anakin grimaced. "Master, with all due respect, as much as I want to help the UNSC, we don't have the logistics, we're in a different galaxy, no one in the Republic even knows where we _are_, and we only have a small task force. Unless we-" A clone burst through though the open doorway. "Excuse me sirs. General Kenobi, we're intercepting part of a very powerful transmission emanating from an uncharted sector three standard days from here. Its an open frequency." The two Jedi exchanged a glance. "Patch it through to the deck screen," Anakin ordered. The deck screen flickered and came to life. It depicted the High Prophet of Truth. Anakin grimaced. "Hello _ugly_." Behind him, Lord Hood snorted in suppressed merriment. "My brethren, I am the bearer of grave news. The Sanghelli have betrayed the Covenant and the gods. This heresy must be brought to heel." The view switched to show Tartarus. "My brothers, unite! Cast down the traitors," the brute said in his deep, gravelly voice. The screen once again was replaced by Truth. "Loyal Covenant, one and all, I call upon you to execute any Elites in High Charity and in this galaxy. Together, we will forge a path into the divine beyond, and begin the Great Journey. These dark times are trying in the extreme, and while hope may seem out of reach, this is actually a time to rejoice. For the sacred Icon has been found, with it, our passage guaranteed and no one, not even the Flood can stop it." Off screen there was a sharp squeal, and a collective gasp from Truth, his bodyguards, and the Prophet of Mercy. "Kill the demon!", Truth stammered, and the screen went black. Hood stood and approached the now dark screen. "Well," he said. "At least we know the Chief's alive."


End file.
